1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus for printing in a predetermined region on a print medium using a plurality of kinds of inks.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are some cases where an inkjet printing apparatus which ejects ink droplets from print heads for printing is adopted as a printing apparatus. Such an inkjet printing apparatus has been widely used in applications such as photos, posters, CAD drawings and the like.
Some of inkjet printing apparatus perform printing in use of a plurality of kinds of inks differing in permeability into a print medium. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-113850 discloses such an inkjet printing apparatus.
In the inkjet printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-113850, in regard to an edge region within a region as a print target, printing is performed by a low permeable pigment ink with low permeability into the print medium. In addition, in regard to an inside region surrounded by the edge region within the region as the print target, printing is performed by a combination of the low permeable ink and a high permeable dye ink with high permeability. Since the printing is performed on the edge region portion by the low permeable ink, bleeding of the ink is difficult to be generated on an image, thus making it possible to make a printed image be sharp. In the inside region, the printing is performed by a combination of the low permeable ink which is relatively long in time required for drying and the high permeable ink which is relatively short in time required for drying. Therefore as compared to a case where the printing is performed by the low permeable ink alone, the time required for drying the ink can be made short.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-113850 as described above, however, the printing is performed in the edge region by using the low permeable ink alone. In a case where the printing is performed by using the low permeable ink alone, the ink having landed on the print medium remains on the print medium without so much permeating the print medium, resultantly taking a relatively long time to dry the ink. Therefore in the printing to the edge region, a drying time of the ink having landed on the print medium becomes long.